SAT OwlA portrait in a private collection has long been dated to around 1650 based on its style. A recent analysis, however, found that the sitter's blue sash was painted with Prussian blue, a pigment first produced in Berlin in the early 1700s. The analysis also found that the blue paint lies directly on the original ground layer, beneath the oldest varnish, with no earlier paint below it. These findings suggest that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
a later artist repainted the sash, covering its original color with the newer pigment.
the portrait was likely painted in the 1700s or later in an older style.
the portrait was painted in Berlin rather than elsewhere.
the oldest varnish was applied before the sash was painted.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
Prussian blue didn't exist until the early 1700s. Because the blue sits directly on the original ground, under the oldest varnish, with nothing beneath it, it was part of the painting from the start. So the portrait itself likely dates from the 1700s or later, choice B.
Choice A is the usual explanation for an out-of-place pigment, but the analysis found no earlier paint under the blue, so the sash wasn't painted over.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. The analysis found no earlier paint beneath the blue, so the sash wasn't painted over an original color.
- C. Where the pigment was first made says nothing about where this portrait was painted.
- D. The blue lies beneath the oldest varnish, so the varnish went on after the sash was painted.
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